Nestle once again in court over 'sub-standard' Maggi

In Uttar Pradesh, standards for 'Macaroni products' are being applied for 'Instant Noodles with seasoning' which is erroneous and misleading, alleges Nestle

Nestle India and its two sellers have been dragged to court over alleged sub-standard Maggi noodles, a charge denied by the FMCG major which questioned the testing standards.

District Designated Officer Manoj Kumar Verma of Barbanki said that a case was lodged in the court of additional district magistrate on Tuesday after Nestle failed to reply to notices sent by it after samples were found "sub-standard during lab test at Gorakhpur".

When contacted, a Nestle India spokesperson said: "We have not received any notice from the concerned authorities about samples of Maggi noodles collected from Umesh Chandra, Barabanki. We have also not received any notice from the court and we have heard about this only from a media report."

Asserting that Maggi is "100 per cent safe for consumption" the spokesperson said: "In recent past we have come across instances where in Uttar Pradesh, standards for 'Macaroni products' are being applied for 'Instant Noodles with seasoning' which is erroneous and misleading."

She further said: "We categorically reiterate that testing of instant noodles against norms set for macaroni products will reflect incorrect results and wrong interpretations."

Last year, Uttar Pradesh Food & Drug Administration took samples of Maggi from the shop of Umesh Chandra in Joshi Tola, which was purchased from Ravindra Traders.

According to Verma, "samples were found sub-standard during lab test at Gorakhpur" and notices were sent to Nestle and two sellers.

Photograph: PTI